Military Love
by ZebbieCullen
Summary: Lorne's fallen for his new CO, Col Hayden Murphy. She likes him too. Will they admit their feelings, or live in a world of denial? LorneOC Warning: Marysue
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** The first chapter is a bit dull, but it should get better. I own nothing except for Colonel Hayden Murphy and the other OC's. All mistakes are mine. Enjoy, and please review.

Chapter One Summary: Meet Col Murphy, Atlantis new CO, she's kind, tough and knows what she wants, even if she can't have it (The fic is better than the summary).

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* * *

Name: Murphy, Hayden _

_Team: AR-1_

_Mission: MG7-6G7_

Colonel Murphy sighed and stared at her laptop screen. Why did she have to write these stupid mission reports anyway? If she had her way her reports would go something like, "We came, we saw, we opened fire and we ran like hell." But Dr Weir insisted that she write an actuate account of her team's trip to MG…where ever the hell they went.

AR-1 stood for Atlantis Reconnaissance One. They were mainly a search and rescue team while others, such as AT-1 (Col Sheppard's team), got to go on trading missions to try and gain allies for the city.

Hayden had come to Atlantis via the Daedalus four months ago. Since Col Sheppard spent so much time in the infirmary, the SGC decided to send someone to fill in his position while he was unable to. Even though she ranks higher than him and is technically the commanding officer of the city, she let him keep the position, splitting the duties fifty-fifty.

There was a knock on her office door. "Hey, Murphy," said Lt Kai Nakamura. He was a member of her team and the youngest person on Atlantis at only twenty-four years old. "Dr Weir said she wants those reports on her desk by morning."

"Sure thing," she said. "Thanks, Kai."

He saluted and left her office, heading in the direction of the infirmary. Their last mission had resulted in the other two members of the team staying in bed under the watchful eyes of the CMO, Dr Carson Beckett. Dr Carlos Baxter and Koji Brooks had been injured on the run back to the gate, both sustaining minor bullet wounds. AR-1 had a reputation in the infirmary that rivalled that of Sheppard's team.

Just as Murphy was about to begin typing again, someone pounded on the door. "Come in."

The door whooshed open and Major Evan Lorne entered, carrying a tray of steaming coffee. "Hey, Lorne," she said, looking at the keys on the laptop. She'd had a crush on the good Major for some time now.

He smiled. "Want some coffee, sir?" he asked. "Sorry, we don't have any milk."

She shrugged. "That's OK, I don't mind."

He handed her a cup and took a sip out of the other. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Mission reports."

He pulled up a chair and sat down opposite her. "Bummer. How are Baxter and Brooks?"

The Colonel smiled. "They'll be fine. Probably already driving poor Beckett mad."

"Probably," he said, looking into her eyes. He loved her eyes, the right one was blue and the left one was green. He couldn't believe that he'd fallen for his CO. "Are we still on for the gym tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Yep."

"Cool," he said, taking another sip of coffee. They sat in silence for a few seconds. "Well, I'd better go. I got my own reports to write. See you tomorrow, sir."

"See ya," she said. She watched him leave, her eyes travelling down his body until they fell on his ass.

The two of them had met under rather unusual circumstances. She had just arrived on Atlantis and volunteered to accompany Sheppard's team on a rescue mission to save Lorne and the rest of AT-2. They were easy enough to find, but she'd found Lorne tied upside-down against a cave wall with most of his clothes missing.

_"Hey, Murphy?"_ she sighed when she heard McKay's irritating voice over the radio.

"Go ahead," she said.

_"Could you come down to the labs? I need you to test some machinery."_

"Why can't Sheppard do it?"

_"Because Col Flyboy went around touching stuff he wasn't meant to and ended up electrocuting himself, that's why."_

She frowned. "Is he OK?"

_"How should I know? I'm not a medical doctor,"_ she could hear the annoyance in his voice, dealing with a cranky McKay was the last thing she wanted.

"Soz, McKay, I have reports to finish," she smiled to herself and switched her radio off.

She quickly finished her paperwork and the reports on MG7-6G7 and walked down a flight of stairs to Dr Weir office. She handed them in and then took a transporter to the infirmary.

As soon as she entered the incredibly white room she was heard the voices of Sheppard, Koji and Carlos all singing 'I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves'. The Colonel was sitting on an exam table having a nasty gash on his hand sewn up. She chuckled when she saw the look of desperation on Dr Beckett's face.

"Hey guys," she said, joining in with the singing until she received a death glare from Carson. "Sorry."

"How goes it, sir?" asked Koji. He was lying on his bed flicking a paper football between himself and Carlos.

"I just finished those blasted reports. How are you?"

Sheppard shrugged. "Oh, you know. McKay electrocuted me, Carlos and Koji are having the paper football world cup and Carson's losing the will to live."

Hayden smiled. "Funny, McKay said you electrocuted yourself," she said. "Want me to yell at anyone, Carson?"

He shook his head and finished repairing his patient's hand. "No thanks, lass, I was just about to release the buggers."

Koji and Carlos smiled smugly and she went to get them some clothes. At first, it had been hard gaining the respect of her men. Most of them didn't like the idea of a woman in charge of the military and there were some that still didn't, but the majority of them had accepted her as their boss. She'd worked with the SGC for five years, but didn't know anyone when she first came to Atlantis. Major Lorne had been her first friend, after she saved his hot ass. She knew she shouldn't have feelings for someone under her command, but was it possible to de-crush yourself? She sometimes wondered what he thought of her, but even if the feeling was mutual they could never be together, not while they were military.

She sighed to herself, grabbed some clothes for her friends and went back to the infirmary.

oOo

Lorne stood in the gym doing some stretches and waiting for his lazy commanding officer to arrive. She'd probably forgotten, dumb blonde (well, he called her a blonde, she said she was a zebra blonde, which was a natural blonde with natural brown streaks in their hair, or visa versa). Evan had never meant to fall in love with Col Murphy, it just kind of happened. She was easy to talk to and was always there with a shoulder to cry on if the need ever arose. He respected her and valued her friendship.

The doors whooshed open and Hayden walked in. "Hey, sorry I'm late. They were having problems with the transpoters and I had to take the stairs."

She pulled her hair into a ponytail and tossed her bag onto a bench. "How are you?" she asked, picking up a couple of training sticks.

He smiled. "I'm good. You?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

The Major picked up the other set of sticks and the two began circling each other on the mats. Murphy lashed out but Lorne blocked the attack. He swung at her legs but she jumped out of the way and hit him in the back, causing him to fall down. "Come on," she taunted. "You can do better than that."

He jumped back up and swung one of the sticks at her stomach. The move caught her by surprise and she stumbled backwards, but she kept her balance and blocked Lorne's next swing. She spun around and hit him in the side, making him wince in pain. He was able to duck before her stick came into contact with his head and took another blow at her stomach but missed. They smiled at each other, sweat beginning to drip down both their foreheads.

"Tie," said Murphy, after a good three hours of constant action (although not the kind of action she would have liked).

He nodded and grinned. "Tie," he agreed.

They tossed their sticks to one side and grabbed their gym bags. "I'm going to grab a shower. I'll meet you back here in ten minutes, lunch?" she asked.

"Sure."

There are two sets of showers built right next to the gym. The girls on the right the guys on the left. The Colonel entered the shower room and pulled her hair out of the ponytail it was in. She smiled at Teyla who was tying her shoelaces up. "Good morning, Col Murphy."

"Morning, Teyla," she said. "Aren't you going off-world?"

"Yes, in a few minutes."

"Well, good luck. I'll have a rescue team on stand by."

Teyla smiled. "Thank you, it is much appreciated."

She'd been on a number of missions with the Athosian's team; none of which had ended very well.

Teyla left the shower room and Murphy stepped into one of the cubicles, stripped off her clothes and let the hot water splash against her.

She met up with Lorne outside the gym, dressed in clean clothes. They stepped into a transporter. "Damn," said Murphy. "Forgot my towel."

She hit a button on the control panel and waited, but nothing happened. The doors wouldn't open. Then they noticed that they weren't moving. They were stuck. "This could be a problem," she muttered.

* * *

TBC 

Next chapter should be up tomorrow or the day after.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Lorne is an Air Force Major isn't he?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter. Enjoy, and please review.

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"Didn't you say something about a problem with the transporters?" asked Lorne. 

She mentally slapped herself. "And yet you didn't stop us walking in here?"

He shrugged. "I forgot."

She sighed and activated her head set. "Dr McKay? Come in."

_"Sorry, Hayden. McKay went off-world a few minutes ago,"_ said Carlos Baxter. 

Karma, she though, for not helping McKay in the labs yesterday.

She sighed. "OK, listen, Major Lorne and I are trapped in a transporter near the gym. The doors won't open, can you get us out?"

"_I should be able to,"_ he said. Carlos was one of the highly intelligent scientists. _"I'll have to find you first. I'll get back to you."_

"Great," she said, turning to face Lorne.

He shrugged again. "Could be worse."

She agreed and looked around. The transporter wasn't very big and she wondered how the air got into them. It was beginning to get hotter so she unzipped her jacket slightly.

"Did he say how long we'll be stuck here?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, he just said he'll get back to us."

He lent against the wall and folded his arms. "So, tell me a bit about yourself, sir. It'll pass the time."

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

He smiled. "I don't know? Where did you grow up? Any siblings?"

She unzipped her jacket a bit more. It was getting really warm, or maybe it was the thought of being trapped in a confined space with Major Lorne. "Well, I grew up in New York. No siblings, I'm an only child. My parents got divorced when I was thirteen, I stayed with my mom and started my own band when I was sixteen."

He looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, lead guitar and vocals," she said. "What about you? Any sibs?"

"Got an older sister, her name is Amy. We were born in Montana but grew up in Canada."

"How much older is she?"

"About three and a half years," he said, running a hand through his messy hair.

Murphy looked at her watch. They'd been in the transporter for almost forty minutes and still no word from Carlos. It felt like they had been trapped for hours. She lent against the wall and slowly sank to the floor.

Major Lorne looked at her. He'd spent enough time around her to know when something was wrong. "You OK, sir?"

"Not really," she said, pushing some hair out of her face. Was it just her, or was the room getting smaller?

He shifted weight from one foot to the other and gave her a concerned look. "Why? What's wrong?"

She lent her head against the wall. "I'm claustrophobic."

"Really?" he asked his voice full of sympathy.

She nodded and sighed. The walls were beginning to close in on her. Ten minutes later her radio finally activated.

"_Colonel?"_ said Carlos.

"Go ahead," she muttered.

"_I've located you and the Major. I'm working on getting power back to the transporter now. You'll know when I'm done."_

She nodded and mumbled a thanks.

Lorne came and sat down next to her. "We'll be out soon," he said as she started to bang her head against the wall and groan. "Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself."

He put a hand on Murphy's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. In the short while he'd know her, he'd never seen her scared of anything, even the giant spiders on MG8-92K. They made small talk for the next ten minutes. She took her jacket off and chucked it into a corner, leaving her in a thin tank top. It was becoming difficult for her to breathe and the room continued to shrink.

The Major could see she was struggling so he moved her away from the wall and began to rub her shoulders. "Don't worry, sir," he said, as he worked at some of the knots in her back. "We'll be out of here soon."

She nodded again and smiled to herself. He was so close she could smell the soap he'd used in the shower.

"Just relax," he was whispering now. "Deep breaths."

She tried to focus on her breathing but all she could think about was Lorne's hands on her skin, rubbing soothing patterns on her sore, stiff shoulders. She took a few deep breaths like he'd said and pictured wide, open fields in her mind.

"That's it, Hayden," he said, his voice still a whisper. She was a little surprised by the use of her first name, but kept quiet. "It'll be over soon. Not long now."

He was beginning to wish that Carlos wouldn't be able to fix it and they'd have to wait for Dr McKay to return, so they could stay as they were. But then he realised that the whole thing must be really hard for his CO. He hated seeing her in pain and started to wish that Carlos would hurry the hell up and get the damn doors open.

Surely enough, a few minutes later, the doors did opened. They were outside the gym; Dr's Weir, Baxter and Beckett were there to greet them. "Sorry it took so long," said Carlos apologetically.

Hayden got up and pushed past the three of them, heading to the balcony that overlooked the west pier.

"Is she alright?" Weir asked Lorne.

"She's claustrophobic," he said.

Dr Beckett nodded. "Aye, I was worried about that. How bad was she?"

"Pretty bad compared to most claustrophobics I've seen," Lorne picked up Col Murphy's jacket from the ground.

"OK, she should probably come down to the infirmary," said Beckett.

The Major nodded. "I'll go get her."

He opened the door to the balcony and saw he leaning against the rail with her head resting against her arms. "You alright?"

She nodded. "I think."

"Your probably sick of me after being trapped with me for so long," he joked.

"It's OK."

He joined her by the rail and wrapped her jacket around her shoulders. The view really was amazing. The ocean looked as blue as her right eye and was glittering in the sun. "Dr Beckett wants you to come down to the infirmary when you're ready," said Lorne.

She shook her head. "Tell him I'm fine. I just…need to be alone for a while," she said, taking another deep breath.

"Yessir, I'll see you later," he slapped her gently on the shoulder and turned around. "I'm glad your OK, sir."

"Thanks," she whispered, she heard the door whoosh shut and was finally alone.

* * *

TBC... 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks to Carter-O'Neill and Jeanette Hanson who reviewed the last two chapters. This chapter was originally only about 900 words long, but then I added a bit.

Chapter Summary: Col Sheppard's team run into a little trouble off-world and require the assistance of AR-1.

Enjoy, and please review.

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Col Murphy took a deep breath, enjoying the sent of the ocean below her. It had been three hours since the transporter incident and she was now back in her quarters, standing on her balcony. Directly opposite her quarters where those of Major Lorne. She wondered if it was just a coincidence, or if it was fate, a sign that they were meant to be together. She preferred the latter. The two of them sometimes spent their evenings throwing a football at each other and talking about what was happening in the city that day. 

She knew she had work to do, but just couldn't concentrate. Her skin was still tingling from where the Major had rubbed her neck and shoulders. She remembered his warm breath against her ear as he whispered soft words of encouragement and how it felt when he called her by her first name.

She heard her door whoosh open and knew it was probably Koji, he never bothered to knock.

"Sure, just barge right in then," she heard Carlos say. "Don't you knock?"

He shrugged. "No."

"Why not?"

"Why do?"

"I don't know, she could be naked or something," said Carlos.

"Exactly," smirked Koji. Kai slapped both of them round the head.

Hayden smiled to herself. "I'm out here, guys," she called.

She opened the door to her quarters and left her balcony. "What are you all doing here?"

Kai stepped forward so he wasn't hidden between the other two. "We brought you something to eat, sir," he said, handing her the tray of food. A can of beer (she didn't know where he got that from), a bowl of soup and a bowl of green Jell-O (her favourite). She wasn't very hungry, but thanked them anyway and put it in the Ancient's version of a microwave.

"So," said Koji. "What's all this about you getting stuck in a transporter with Lorne."

Carlos and Kai kicked him in the shin. "I really don't want to talk about it," said Murphy.

"She's claustrophobic you idiot," Kai whispered.

She rolled her eyes and sat on the edge of her bed, looking at her three moronic team mates. Carlos was tall with black hair and brown eyes. Koji also had black hair but had dark, piercing blue eyes. Kai was short (only an inch shorter than she was) with chocolate brown eyes and thick, jet-black hair. She was the only fair-haired one of the group.

"Oh, sorry," apologised Koji.

She shrugged it off. "Any one seen Lorne?"

They shook their heads. "No," said Carlos. "But we did see Dr Beckett, he told us to give you this," he picked up her gym bag that had been sitting by the door. The three of them had run into the doctor on the way down to her room and offered to deliver it. Truthfully, they only did it to avoid the big needles that were surely going to be use as revenge for the singing thing in the infirmary. Kai may be the youngest, but he's definitely the maturest.

"So what was actually wrong with the transporters?" asked Murphy.

"There was a power failure," answered Carlos. "Don't worry, it won't happen again."

She nodded. "That's good."

"Oh crap."

"What?" asked Koji.

"Late for a meeting, gotta go," said Carlos, running out the door.

She waved good bye as Kai and Koji left too, leaving her all alone again. She got the food out of the microwave, ate a bit of the Jell-O and drank the beer. She had no idea where they got it from as they drank it all a few weeks ago while Dr Weir was off-world.

After eating she filled in some paper work that needed to be given to Col Sheppard when he returned.

"_Col Murphy?"_

"Go ahead, Dr Weir," she said, picking up her headset that had been left on the desk.

"_Could you come down to the gate room please?"_

"On my way," she got up and quickly changed into her BDUs.

She took the stairs entered the gate room to find Elizabeth, Major Lorne and Carlos hunched round a computer screen. Chuck the gate technician was typing away and looked concerned. "What's going on?" asked Murphy, taking in everyone's worried and confused expressions.

Chuck pressed a few more keys. "We just received this radio transmission from Col Sheppard's team."

"_Lantis…is Sheppard…villagers…tried to…gate…caught in a…send back up…"_ then it went dead.

"What?" she asked.

"We don't know," said Dr Weir. "But it doesn't sound good. I want your team ready in the gate room in half an hour."

Murphy nodded. "Yes ma'am."

She and Carlos left the gate room and returned twenty minutes later in their off-world gear with Koji and Kai. Chuck dialled the gate to MG9-H20.

"Good luck," said Elizabeth.

Col Murphy smiled. "Thanks," she said, zipping us her tac vest. "We'll be home before dinner."

She gave a mock salute and stepped through the gate.

They instantly regretted it when they saw the planet. It was raining, hard. Millions of raindrops were pelting them from above and the wind was so strong they were very nearly blown off their feet. A thick forest surrounded the Stargate, however it offered little protection from the weather. Murphy quickly tied her hair back so that it wouldn't lash at her face in the wind.

There was a path leading from the gate into the trees. "Sheppard?" she called. Even if she did get a response, she doubted she'd be able to hear it.

"Come on," she said, leading her team down the path in search of AT-1.

Just after an hour they had walked half a mile. The rain got heavier and the wind continued to blow. Murphy had a feeling that where ever Sheppard and his team were, it was going to take a long time to find them.

"How much farther?" asked Kai.

"How am I meant to know?" she snapped. "They could be anywhere."

"Murphy!" someone called.

"Sheppard?" she called back. The team stopped and looked around. "Where are you?"

"Up here."

Everyone looked up, ignoring the rain that continued to pour down on him or her. John Sheppard and Ronon Dex were sitting in a tree, holding onto the branches for dear life. Sheppard's hair was soaked and sticking to his face whilst Ronon's looked like a wet dog. The tree was strong and was able to withstand the hurricanes that were brewing.

Murphy frowned when she realised that McKay and Teyla were no where to be seen.

"What are you doing up there?" asked Carlos.

Ronon grunted.

Sheppard shrugged. "Oh, you know. Just hanging around."

Murphy almost smiled. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Right as rain."

"Funny," she said as she rolled her eyes. "Where's the Puddle Jumper?"

He shielded his eyes from another blast of rainwater that was being blown towards them and called, "Next to the gate."

AR-1 looked at him and then at each other. "You mean we could have taken the jumper instead of walking!?" demanded Koji. "It took us an hour to walk HALF A MILE!"

"Koji, remember your blood pressure," said Murphy. Trying to control her own annoyance, she turned her attention back to the two in the tree. "Where are Teyla and Dr McKay?"

"We got separated," said Ronon.

Running a hand through her wet hair she thought about the next plan of action. Teyla and Rodney could be anywhere by now and it could take hours or even days to find them if the weather kept up.

"Any idea which way they could be?" asked Kai.

Sheppard pointed to the left and Ronon to the right. Great, though Murphy.

"OK," she said. "Are you hurt?"

"No," said Ronon.

"That's good. Carlos, Kai, I want you to take them both back to the jumper and then dial Atlantis and give them an update on what's going on."

"No way," both Sheppard and Ronon protested. "We're coming with you."

She shook her head. "No you're not. You're going back to the Jumper. That's an order. Carlos, Kai, go with them. Koji, you're with me," she said and then looked at her team mates. "Once you've radioed Atlantis, come and look for us if you can. If it's to dangerous leave the Jumper where it is and stay put."

"Yes sir," said Carlos. "Good luck."

Indicating for Koji to follow her she carried on further into the forest, calling the names of the missing team members. The wind got so bad that they were actually blown of their feet and had to cling onto the branches of trees.

Three hours later they received a message from Carlos saying that there was no way they would be able to fly the ship that far. However, they didn't have to wait much longer as they could hear McKay complaining from miles away (well, a good few meters).

"Teyla!"

The two of them were also in a tree, although this one didn't look as strong as the one Sheppard and Ronon were in. The young Athosian smiled down on them. "Col Murphy, Koji, it is good to see you."

"You to."

"Are the others alright?" she asked.

Koji nodded. "Kai and Carlos took them back to the Jumper. Are you alright?"

McKay gave him a 'look'. "Do we look alright? We're stuck in a tree that's about to blow over, we're both soaked and I probably have hypothermia! How on Earth could we possibly be alright?" he demanded.

Murphy sighed. She really didn't have time for McKay's childish wining right now. "Chill, it was a simple question. Teyla, are you OK?"

She nodded. "We are uncomfortable, be we are uninjured."

Koji looked at the bottom of the tree and studied it for a second. "Do you think you can jump out of the tree?"

She thought about it and pushed some dripping wet hair out of her eyes. "I don't think so, if one moves the weight of the other will cause the tree to fall. However, if Dr McKay got out first…" she trailed off.

"Are you calling me fat?!"

"No, Rodney. I am saying you are heavier than I am, which you are."

Murphy was beginning to lose her patience. "When your ready, McKay."

He was in one of the top branches, a good distance from the ground. The branches were wet and slippery; the weather reminded him of that terrible storm on Atlantis a few years ago.

"What if I fall?"

"You'll get hurt."

He gave her a panicked look before receiving a death glare. Loosening his grip on the branch above him he slid down to the one below. "I don't think this one's very stable!" he called.

"Then hurry up!" snapped Koji.

They couldn't hear it due to the wind, but the branch was snapping. McKay didn't hear it until it was too late and he was falling. He screamed and landed rather ungracefully in a heap on the floor. "Crap!" he cried.

"Are you alright?" called Teyla as she jumped safely down from the tree and landed by his side.

"No, I think my ankle is broken."

Murphy took a couple of steps away and activated her radio. "Carlos? Could you dial Atlantis and tell them to have a med team waiting?"

"_Of course, what happened?"_

"McKay fell out of a tree."

She could hear Kai and Sheppard laughing in the background and then realised how stupid it sounded. "We'll be back soon," she said as she helped the scientist to his feet.

Koji and Teyla supported him and they made their way back to the Jumper. They made it about half way when the next problem arose.

Col Sheppard's voice came though on her headset. _"Colonel, we have three incoming Wraith darts!"_

Everyone looked at the Athosian who nodded, confirming Wraith presence. Murphy cursed. "OK, leave us and get back to the city."

"_Negative sir, we're not leaving you,"_ said Kai.

"Are you disobeying a direct order, Lieutenant?"

"_No sir, I've just been trained never to leave a man behind."_

Good comeback, I'll give him that, she thought.

"_I agree with the kid,"_ said Sheppard. _"Let us hunt the Wraith down."_

"It's too dangerous in this weather. Get back to base, we'll meet you there."

Switching the safe off of her P-90 she raised her weapon and continued down the path. She couldn't really see much, so had to rely on Teyla to tell them if the Wraith were close.

"Can we please stop for a minute?"

"McKay, there are Wraith near by. No, we cannot stop."

"Colonel! There are Wraith close," said Teyla.

She felt it two. Evil presence's close by. A few seconds later she saw something move out of the corner of her eye and, without hesitating, fired a round of bullets. The Wraith hissed but didn't fall to the ground. She punched it round the face and someone shot it in the back. "Koji, get McKay back to the gate!"

Murphy and Teyla stood back to back, weapons raised ready to attack. "See anymore?"

"No, but they are close, I can feel them."

They both fired a warning round and cursed when more appeared. "I'll take the ones on the right, you take the ones on the left."

Teyla turned to the left and fired at anything that moved. The wind was making it hard to get a decent shot in and thunder roared in the background. She turned around. "Colonel, your three o'clock!" she called.

Murphy swung round and kicked a Wraith in the stomach then lifted her P-90 to its head and fired a single shot, killing it.

Teyla took care of the last two and they both ran in the direction of the gate. Sheppard had said that there was three darts, which meant that there were more Wraith somewhere. The two carried on running until they were finally at the gate. Murphy dial it whilst Teyla made sure that the Jumper really was gone.

"Let's go," Murphy called.

A wormhole was established and they both quickly stepped through, having had more than enough of this Godforsaken, watery, Wraith inhabited planet.

* * *

TBC...

Why is it that Lorne's name isn't in the character selection section? Laura Cadman's is and she's only been in two episodes (not that I have anything against Cadman), Lorne's been in loads!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thanks to EmSyd for reviewing the last chapter. Enjoy, and please review!

Chapter Summary: Murphy and Teyla escape from the infirmary and run into Lorne on the way.

_

* * *

ACHOOO!_

Teyla and Murphy groaned as McKay sneezed _again_. Hayden rolled over in her bed and cursed a certain Scottish doctor for making her stay next to the arrogant scientist. At least she had Teyla to suffer with.

A med team was waiting for them on the other side of the gate and they'd both been taken to the infirmary, where they joined the rest of their teams.

Carson had wrapped Hayden in thick blankets and Dr Kate Costello, his 2IC, went to get some dry clothes.

"What on Atlantis happen to you lot, lass?" he had asked.

"Haven't you seen the others?" she asked through chattering teeth.

He shook his head. "No, I was helping Radek with something."

She rung the water out of her hair. "Let's just say the planet isn't called MG9-_H20_ for nothing."

Dr Costello came back with some scrubs. Murphy eyed them suspiciously. "Are the others alright?" she asked.

"As far as I know, although Rodney has sprained his ankle. I might keep him in over night," he said as he began his examination. "I overheard something about the Wraith?"

Hayden nodded. "Yeah, they were there. Teyla and I beat them though."

After she had a sneezing fit, Dr Beckett decided it was best to keep her in overnight. After examining his Athosian friend he thought it best to keep her in overnight as well. The others got off easy and had been sent back to their quarters for rest. McKay had insisted that he stay, saying that he'd caught the flu and was dying.

He sneezed again and then went into a coughing fit.

"Shut up!" said Murphy. It was bad enough she had to stay over night, but why did she have to stay next to McKay?

"I can't help it if I'm ill, Murphy!" he snapped. "Nor can I help sneezing. Why don't you go change your tampon?"

"Or I could stick them up your nose, that might stop you sneezing," she said, smirking slightly. "Besides, I don't use tampons, I wear pads."

He pulled a face of disgust before sneezing again. "Oh, way to much information."

She shrugged and smiled at Teyla, who was obviously trying to not laugh at Rodney's reaction.

Three hours later and McKay had finally fallen asleep. Murphy was bored out of her mind and there was only so much that you could I Spy. She looked at her watch, smiling when she realised that it was the time the afternoon shifts ended; meaning that most of the staff would be gone for a little while.

"I'm bored. You want to get out of here?" she asked.

Teyla looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Ever seen _The Great Escape_?"

"No. Are you suggesting we, as Col Sheppard would say, do a runner?"

"You got it," Murphy slid out of bed and went to look around. Just as she expected most of the staff were gone. She took two spare uniforms from the closet and handed one to Teyla. They both quickly changed and left the snoring astrophysicist alone. She honestly didn't know how his team mates put up with him.

The two of them checked one last time before walking across the main part of the infirmary. Just as they came to the first door Murphy quickly pulled Teyla aside. She signalled for her to be quite. They could hear the Scottish accent of Dr Beckett just a few meters away. He was talking to a woman about the Wraith retrovirus.

"Doesn't he ever leave?" she asked.

Teyla smiled. "I have heard rumours that he sleeps in his office."

Murphy gave her a 'look'. "OK, he really needs a girlfriend," she said.

They ducked behind a medicine cabinet as he walked past. They both breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see them and then cursed when they realised that he was walking straight towards their empty beds. "Damn it," muttered Murphy. "Come on."

A quick scan across the room told them that there was no one else around. Hayden opened the door mentally (having a strong natural ATA gene) and they made there way into the entrance of the infirmary. It sort of acted as a waiting room. Dr Costello was talking to one of the nurses at a desk on the opposite side of the door. Teyla pointed to a paperweight. Smiling, Murphy picked it up and threw it at a rack of medical supplies. It knocked the rack over, gaining the attention of the two doctors. They looked around and went to pick up the supplies, a look of confusing on both their faces.

The Colonel and the Athosian happily walked out of the prison that was formally known as the infirmary. "Now what?" asked Teyla.

"Now we got back to our quarters, although I think I'll skip the shower."

"I will see you tomorrow, Colonel," she smiled. "And Hayden, thank you."

"What for?"

"Rescuing us."

She shrugged it off. "It's my job. See you later."

The two of them headed back to their quarters. After the transporter incident Murphy decided to take the stairs. She loved living in Atlantis and thought it was the kind of place that needed a sign saying, 'You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it dose help.'

She froze when she saw Dr Weir walking towards her. "Ah, Col Murphy. I was just coming to see you."

"You were," she said, trying not to let on that Beckett didn't know she was here. She felt a little guilty about abandoning him like that. He must have to put up with so much crap from the military everyday; he was only trying to help people and do his job.

"How are you? Carson released you?" asked Weir.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine, really. Slight headache, but I think that's from the amount of water gushing around my brain."

Elizabeth smiled. "I'll give you guys a chance to rest. We'll debrief tomorrow."

"OK, see you then," she walked down half a flight of stairs and turned around. Dr Weir was carrying on in the direction of the infirmary.

Taking the rest of the steps two at a time she carried on down the corridor and ran smack into Major Lorne. He caught he just before she hit the ground. "You all right?" he asked, amusement in his blue-grey eyes. "You seem to be in a hurry."

She blushed when she realised his hands was on her waist and back. "I'm fine. Sorry for running into you."

"It's cool," he said. She noticed that his hand still hadn't moved. "Where you going?"

"Anywhere that Beckett won't find me."

He nodded. "Ah, I see. Well, there's always my quarters. I bet he'd never look there."

Murphy smiled. The thought of being in Lorne's quarters with him was awful tempting. "Sure," he removed his hands from her waist and opened the transpoter doors.

She shook her head. "Oh no, we take the stairs."

He shrugged and they carried on down the corridor. He opened the doors to his room and invited her in. She'd never actually seen the inside before, just what she could see from her balcony.

His room felt very lived in. There was a bed in the centre, a desk in the corner, a small kitchen area and a small bathroom. Typical Ancient living quarters. The walls were covered with posters of his favourite bands and there was a Spongebob Squarepants poster above his desk. "How old are you, Major?" she asked, pointing to the picture.

"Hey," he said, defensively. "Don't diss Spongebob."

"Whatever," she said, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

He chuckled and looked around the room. "Could you toss me that shirt?"

She picked up a black Tee from the floor and threw it to him. He took off the one he was wearing and put it in his laundry pile. Murphy only got a glimpse of his chest before he put on the other shirt, but she had a photographic memory. Lorne was well built, like most of the male military, with broad shoulders and a six pack.

"So, Murphy," he said. "What do you miss most about Earth? Do you leave anyone special behind?" he asked, trying to find out if she was seeing someone without being too obvious.

She looked at the ground. "No. There was someone, but he died."

Lorne mentally kicked himself and before he could stop, blurted out, "What happened?"

Hayden sighed. "His name was Richard Grey. He worked with Daniel Jackson. We'd been dating for almost three years. About seven months ago he went off-world and never came back."

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling up a chair and giving her hand a light squeeze.

"Thanks OK," she gave him a reassuring smile. She'd gotten over it fairly quickly, having buried herself in her work. "What about you."

He shook his head. "No, no one, not for a while."

Murphy smiled. "Got your eye on anyone?"

He debated whether or not to say yes. He wanted to let on that he was interest in her, but was scared that she might misinterpret and think that he was interested in someone else. "Er, yeah."

"Who?"

"I can't tell you that, you might tell her."

"What's she look like?" she asked, leaning forward slightly.

He hesitated. "Blonde hair, amazing blue-green eyes, great sense of humour…" he trailed off. Murphy's smile fell.

Ah, she thought, Dr Costello, blonde, blue-green eyes and fun to be around.

Suddenly feeling a bit depressed she stood up and turned towards the balcony. "Well, it's getting late," she said. "Thanks for not telling Beckett."

He smiled. "No problem, sir."

She turned around. "Hey, Lorne. When we're off duty, could you call me Hayden?"

"Sure…Hayden."

Murphy waved good bye and jumped from his balcony to hers.

* * *

TBC... 


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Thanks to Carter-O'Neill and EmSyd who reviewed the last chapter. I own nothing except for Hayden and the other OCs and all mistakes are mine.

Chapter Summary: Lorne takes the bullet for Murphy.

Enjoy, and please review.

* * *

Murphy awoke with a start as the gate alarm blared throughout the city. Rolling out of bed she mentally went through a list of all the teams that were currently off-world. There was only two; Major Costello's (Dr Costello's twin) team and Major Lorne's team. Somehow she knew it would be his team that was in need of assistance. 

It had been more than a week since the water planet incident and he'd been off-world for most of that time. She was confused about they way she felt about him. She was in love with him, she knew that much. But even if he felt the same way they could never be together, not unless one of them resigned. Not with the regulations. That was the thing that really pissed her off about the military.

She pulled on her uniform and dashed off to the gate room. Dr Weir confirmed her fears when she ordered a rescue mission. Murphy cursed as she radioed Kai and Koji. Carlos was off-world with Lorne's team.

Elizabeth asked Dr Beckett to accompany them. She had said that the team had been attacked when Carols let it slip that he'd slept with the King's daughter. Murphy made a mental note to talk to him about that later.

"Alright," she said to her team. She loaded her P-90 and carried on. "It's simple rescue mission. We go in, we get out. Nobody gets hurt, got it?"

"Yessir!" said Koji and Kai.

"Aye Colonel."

Chuck dialled the gate and they stepped through.

The planet was dark and cold and surrounded by another forest. There was the sound of shouting and gunfire close by. Activating her radio she said, "Lorne, come in."

"_Go ahead,"_ he said as he fired a round of bullets.

"We got your message, hang on, we're on our way."

"_Be careful, there are villagers everywhere." _

"Roger that!"

Murphy led her team forward, firing at everyone not wearing the Atlantis uniform. She ordered her team to split up and keep an eye on Beckett. She got a Life Signs Detector out of her tac vest pocket and carried on, adrenaline running through her body.

She turned a corner and pointed her weapon on one of the villagers who was about to kill Carlos. "Put the knife down!" she ordered.

The villager turned around, knife still targeted at Carlos. "And who are you?"

"Lara Croft, now put it down or I shoot!"

She could see Carlos smiling; he could so see her as Lara Croft.

However the smile was wiped off his face when he saw the knife coming at him. Bracing himself he closed his eyes and waited for it to come into contact. Except it didn't. He heard the sound of gun fire and looked up to see Murphy mock salute him before helping him up off the ground.

"You slept with the King's daughter?" she demanded.

He shrugged. "She was blonde."

"I'm blonde, do you go around sleeping with me? No," she said. "Now go and find the Jumper, we're getting out of here."

"Yes sir!" he said as ran in the direction of the gate, P-90 raised.

The gunfire had quietened down and the number of life signs on the detector had dropped. She hoped that was a good thing.

Suddenly a villager dropped out of a tree and landed in front of her holding a 9mm. Before she could do anything he pulled the trigger.

She watched in horror as someone dived in front of her. It was like everything was in slow motion when she saw who had just taken the bullet for her.

Lorne.

She froze, completely in shock as he fell to the ground. She was furious and fired several shots at the villager and would have continued if the Major hadn't just risked his life for her.

Within an instant she was by Lorne's side, putting pressure on the wound. He'd been shot in the chest, dark red blood oozing out.

"Evan, you asshole! Why the hell did you do that?!" she demanded.

He gave a small smile. "Didn't want to…see you get hurt," he whispered.

She shook he head and activated her radio. "This is Murphy, Beckett get your ass over here! Carlos, be ready with the Jumper."

She heard them reply, but was too shocked to understand what they were saying. "Hang on, Evan," she whispered. "Stay with me."

Putting as much pressure on his chest as possible she brushed some sweaty hair out of his face. "Carson's on his way, you'll be fine."

He was going paler by the second. "There's…something I want to tell you."

"Don't," she said. If he weren't hurt she probably would have slapped him. "Quit being so melodramatic."

The Puddle Jumper de-cloaked and appeared above them. It landed and Dr Beckett accompanied by Koji dash out. Carson's pushed Murphy to one side and got to work examining the Major's wound.

She stood up and had to take a few deep breaths to stop herself from vomiting. Lorne's blood was all over her hands, reminding her of what he'd done. He'd saved her life by risking his. If he died it would be her fault.

If he died, she'd never be able to tell him.

Pushing the thoughts of the Major dying out of her head she helped get him into the jumper. Carlos had picked up Lorne's team and began to fly back to the gate.

Beckett got an IV going for Lorne and strapped an oxygen mask to his face. The colour had been completely drained from it, his blue-grey eyes filled with pain.

She felt someone tap her leg and looked down to see Kai pointing to the doctor. She looked at him.

"I said, what happened?" asked Beckett.

Her gaze drifted down to her hands and then to Lorne. "He…he saved my life. He took the bullet for me," she whispered. "Is he gonna be OK?"

Carson sighed. "We'll know when we get back to Atlantis."

Hayden knelt down beside Evan, taking his hand in hers, stroking his knuckles with her thumb.

A medical team was waiting for them in the Jumper Bay. They got Lorne on a gurney and whisked him off to the infirmary.

* * *

TBC... 


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thanks to Carter-O'Neill, EmSyd and rubycaspar for reviewing the last chapter.

Enjoy, and please review.

* * *

Dr Weir and Col Sheppard met up with Murphy and the others a few minutes later in the infirmary. Two members of Lorne's team had been injured with minor knife wounds, but refused to be treated until they had news on Lorne. 

"What happened?" asked Col Sheppard as he came to stand next to her.

"He got shot," said Murphy, refusing to take her eyes off of the door of the operating room.

"Who did?"

"Lorne," she whispered, swallowing the bile that was in her throat.

Weir and Sheppard looked at each other. "Alright," said Elizabeth. "Let's de-brief."

Murphy shook her head. "Not until I know he's OK."

Elizabeth muttered something to Sheppard and then went over to talk to Carlos. "Are you hurt?" asked Sheppard.

She shook her head again and looked at the dried blood on her hands. "It's Lorne's blood, not mine."

"Why don't you go and take a shower, sir? You're covered in mud, blood and whatever that green stuff is," he said. "I'll call you if there's any news."

She couldn't be bothered to argue, so gave a slight nod and walked to her quarters. She didn't notice her hands trembling as she pulled off her clothes. Leaning against the wall she switched the shower on and let the hot water run over her body, working at the tense muscles in her back. She didn't know what the time was, but guessed it had to be about five in the morning.

She changed into a clean uniform and replayed the bullet-taking moment in her head. Major Lorne had saved her life. If the villager had fired the gun at her the bullet would have gone straight through her heart and killed her instantly.

She left her quarters and returned to the infirmary. Lorne's team had been bandaged up and had been convinced to get some rest. Well, they'd all been sedated. Having nothing else to do but pace the infirmary floor she de-briefed Dr Weir on what had happened.

Dr Beckett came out of surgery an hour later. He looked tired and had blood all over him. Murphy's heart fell when she saw the sight of the doctor. "How is he?"

Due to her short attention span, Carson decided not to bore her about his condition with a load of meaningless medical terms. "He should be fine. If he gets through the next twenty-four hours without any problems, he'll be OK."

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and smiled. Thank God he was going to be all right. "Can I see him?"

"I'm sorry, lass," he said, taking off his gloves and throwing them in the bin. "But he needs to rest. You can see him later."

"Carson, please," she said, stepping closer to him. "He saved my life. Just a few minutes, I promise."

Carson sighed. "OK, five minutes."

Murphy thanked him and slipped behind the curtains when Lorne was. There was hardly any colour in his face and he was hooked up to several machines. She took a few seconds to listen to the beep of the heart monitor letting her know that he was alive, before pulling up a chair.

Making sure that no one was watching she took the Major's hand in hers and entwined their fingers. She took a deep breath and looked at her watch, only four and a half minutes left.

"If you don't live, I am so gonna kill you," she said, and then realised how stupid that must have sounded.

"Thank you," she whispered, stroking the back of his hand. "Please, be OK."

She hesitantly brought his hand up to her lips and gently kissed it. "I don't know why we always wait until it's to late to tell someone how we really feel. I know you probably can't hear me, but Evan, I –"

"Times up, love," said Carson, poking his head round the door.

Murphy was glad she didn't finish the sentence and quickly let go of his hand, nodding at the doctor. Knowing it was best not to argue she got up out of the chair.

"You can see him in a few hours," said Beckett. "I'll call you if there's any news."

"Thanks," she said as she left Lorne's room and headed to the gym. She felt like punching something.

* * *

TBC... 


	7. Chapter 7

_Murphy paced the infirmary floor. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Over and over again. She'd received a call from Carson that there was something wrong with Major Lorne. She'd been waiting almost half an hour for news. Dr Weir and Col Sheppard were both waiting with her. _

_Hayden blamed herself for what had happened. If she'd reacted quicker maybe he'd still be OK. A million thoughts flashed trough her head. What if he'd fallen into a coma and would never wake up? What if he had memory loss?_

_Oh God, what if he was dead?_

_She didn't know how she'd cope if that were the case. If he died, it would be her fault. She needed him, even if he didn't feel the same way._

"_Would you quit pacing, sir?" said Sheppard. "You're worse than Rodney."_

_She almost laughed. No matter what happened to her friends, she'd never be worse than Rodney Mckay._

_Not wanting to anger Sheppard or Weir she sat down in one of the chairs and took a deep breath, pushing the bad thoughts out of her head. She hated it when people in the city died. After all, she was responsible for their safety and lives._

_Elizabeth came and sat next to her. "I'm sure he's fine," she said._

_Murphy shrugged._

_After what felt like an eternity (but was in fact only a few minutes) Dr Beckett came to join them. His eyes were full of sadness and sorrow. It was obvious something was wrong. Murphy didn't need to be told; she already knew what happened._

"_Hey," he said. "We tried. We really did, but he just wasn't strong enough. He's gone."_

_She nodded and let the tears fall…_

Murphy sat bolt right up in bed, two fat tears streaming down her cheeks. Her breathing was fast, like she'd been running. Looking around she saw that she was in her quarters. It was dark, but she could make out the time on the clock. Six in the morning.

"Just a dream," she told herself, whipping away the tears. She hadn't cried in almost fifteen years. "It was just a dream."

She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep and had to go to work in an hour, so she grabbed a quick shower and got dressed. She left her quarters, heading for the infirmary. Most of Atlantis was up at this hour, getting ready for the new day.

"Carson?" she called as she entered the infirmary, almost blinded by the sheer whiteness of it.

"Aye, lass?" he said.

"Is Evan – Lorne, I mean Lorne – alright?" she asked.

Beckett smiled. "Aye, he's awake I think. You can go see him for a few minutes if you want."

Murphy thanked him a slipped through the curtain surrounding Lorne's bed. His face lit up when he saw her. He was wearing a fresh pair of scrubs and was most of the machinery was gone. "Sir," he said.

"Major," she said, suddenly feeling unsure of herself. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he smiled. "Hungry, but the doc won't let me eat anything for another couple of hours. How are you?"

She nodded. "I'm good. Thanks to you."

He was still a bit pale, so it was obvious that he was blushing slightly. "Your welcome, Hayden."

She sighed and sat on a chair next to his bed. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and kiss his lips, and tell him how sorry she was.

Got to remain professional, she thought.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I…" he trailed off.

Because I love you, he thought. No, got to remain professional, Lorne, she's your boss for crying out loud. "Because I care about you. You're my friend. I don't like seeing my friends get hurt."

Friend.

The word echoed through her mind like thunder.

"I don't like seeing my friends get hurt either," she said, pointing to the IV that was connected to his arm.

"Atlantis needs you more than it needs me," he pointed out.

"That's not true."

He was about to argue back when Dr Beckett stuck his head around the curtain. "Time to have those bandages changed, Major."

"When can I get out of here?" he asked, anxious to get out of bed.

The Scottish doctor shrugged. "Tomorrow or the day after. You have just had major surgery you know."

He sighed and nodded, "I know."

"I'll see you later, Lorne," said Murphy, getting out of the chair. She hesitated before giving him a light kiss on the cheek. Just a harmless, friendly kiss.

Once she was out of earshot, Carson said, "Have you told her yet?"

"Told who what?"

Carson rolled his eyes. "Hayden that you're in love with her?"

Major Lorne looked at him like he was mad. "You know I can't. She's my boss," he said. "Besides, even if I did tell her, she's gorgeous, there's no way she'd like a dumb Air Force Major like me."

"She was a dumb Air Force Major herself once."

"I can't doc, it's against regulations."

He sighed and cursed whoever came up with the regs. He couldn't see any reason why two military personal couldn't be in a relationship, as long at it didn't interfere with their duties or work.

He winced as Beckett examined the stitches in his chest and ignored his stomach that was aching from hunger. Maybe he and Murphy could run away to some distant planet together. Then again, maybe not.

He groaned, life could be so unfair sometimes.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** The lyrics are just something I came up with in my spare time. Enjoy, and please review.

* * *

Major Lorne mentally opened the door to his quarters and switched on the lights. He'd been released from the infirmary a few days ago and was going to be put back on light duty soon. The wound in the chest was healing nicely and was glad (due to some ancient medical technology) that it wouldn't leave a scar. Like many Air Force officers he'd collected quite a few over the years. 

He'd passed Col Sheppard's team earlier. They were going to explore some of the unexplored parts of the city.

He pulled off his shirt and opened the balcony doors; he needed some fresh air. It was late at night, the stars illuminating the sky, the wind whipping through his thick brown hair. Was it his imagination, or could he hear music?

He lent against the doorway and saw Col Murphy sitting in her balcony playing a guitar. He backed away slightly, not wanting to be seen by her. He closed his eyes and listened as she began to sing.

"_Everybody knows that life goes on, _

_Friendships drift away _

_But I know_

_That you'll always cheer me up when I'm feeling blue_

_Cos I'll be thinking of you_

_And when the rain pours hard _

_And you'll all alone _

_I'll be waiting for you _

_Waiting for you to come home."_

Wow, he thought. She's good.

Murphy smiled as she looked out at the ocean. She looked up and saw Major Lorne leaning against the doorway of his balcony. She blushed and looked away.

"That was really good," he said, coming to stand against the railing.

She shrugged and smiled at him. "I said I was in a band when I was young."

"When did you write that song?"

"A few days ago," she said.

"What's it called?"

"I dunno, it's not even finished yet," she said, putting the guitar on the floor. "How are you?"

Lorne smiled. "I'm good."

He shivered as the wind blew and then remembered that he didn't have a shirt on. "Excuse me," he said as he dashed back into his room and pulled on whatever he could find. He quickly sorted out his hair and dimmed the lights.

Murphy took a deep breath. She didn't like people listening to her sing without her knowing. It made her feel embarrassed and she hated being spied on.

Lorne came back a few seconds later. He had a black T-shirt on and she could have sworn she smelt a hint of cologne. His hair was neater and the lights in his quarters were dimmed. She smiled. "You look good," she said before she could stop herself.

"Why thank you," he said.

The two Air Force officers talked about their day, but he wasn't really concentrating. In his head, Lorne was forming a plan. He'd have to have a word with Col Sheppard in the morning.

* * *

Major Lorne jogged down the corridor towards the infirmary. If everything was OK, Beckett would put him back on light duty. 

"Hey, Major," said Col Sheppard from behind.

"Sir," he said, turning around. "How'd the mission go?"

Sheppard smiled his famous cocky smile. "Great, we cleared another section of the city."

Lorne nodded. "Find anything interesting?"

"Yeah, we found a lab with a bit of new technology, but most of it was just living quarters."

"Mind if it take a look if Beckett clears me for active duty?" he half asked half-begged. He'd only been off for a few days but was already bored out of his mind. He needed something to clear his mind and keep him busy.

"Sure," said Sheppard. "Be my guest."

He thanked his CO and carried on towards the infirmary. Luckily the doctor cleared him for active duty, so he headed for the newly explored part of the city. He wanted to find a room that would give him some privacy. He walked down the corridor, looking in all the rooms until he found the perfect one. It had a balcony over looking the ocean (like they all did) and a couch to one side of the room. He switched the lights on and covered the couch with cushions and pillows. He carried a desk from one of the other rooms and put it against the wall. He had brought some flowers from the mainland and put them in a vase.

He took the transporter back to his own quarters and sent Murphy a message telling her to meet him in the room he'd just redecorated in a few hours. Hopefully she'd read it before then, or else all his hard work would have been for nothing.

* * *

TBC... 


	9. Chapter 9

Murphy walked down the corridor, smiling at everyone she passed. She'd received and e-mail from Lorne a few hours ago telling her to meet him nine o'clock. It was now quarter to.

She thought it was a bit weird meeting in a section of the city that had only just been cleared, but she could ask about that later. She followed the directions he'd given her and stopped when she came to the door. Looking around to make sure no one was watching she knocked.

Lorne stood in front of a mirror trying to get his hair to look half-decent. He'd changed into a fresh uniform and slapped on a bit on cologne. He looked out at the ocean. The sun was setting, making the water a mix of orange and purple.

Very romantic, Lorne smiled to himself.

He froze when he heard a knock at the door. Forcing himself to relax, he took a deep breath and went to answer it. Col Murphy was waiting for him, a smile on her face. She was wearing a tank top and BDUs. "Hey," she said.

"Hey, come on in," he stepped aside from the doorway.

She walked in and looked around. Odd, she thought, living quarters that don't have a bed.

Instead there was a couch covered in cushions and pillows. He'd put some flowers on a desk and set up a small table with two chairs. "Nice view," she said, stepping onto the balcony and looking at the sun.

He nodded and came to stand next to her.

"So," she started. "What's up?"

He shrugged. "Nothin', just wanted to talk."

"About what?"

He sighed quietly and indicated for her to follow him inside. She was beginning to wonder about the Major's sanity (well, anyone who worked with the SGC automatically didn't have any).

Lorne turned around and looked her in the eye. "Do you remember the other day in the infirmary? When you asked me why I took the bullet for you?"

Murphy nodded and let him carry on.

"Well, I didn't do it just because I care about you. Don't get me wrong, I do," he added quickly. "Just not as a friend. You mean so much more to me than that."

She looked into his blue-grey eyes. "What do you mean?"

He gently pushed her up against the wall, his heart thumping in his chest. "I love you, Hayden," he whispered. And the next thing he knew he was kissing her. Gently at first, but then he began to get a reaction from her.

Hayden moaned as he sucked on her bottom lip. Every bone in her body was screaming at her to stop and that what they were doing was wrong, but she didn't listen. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his body, pulling him close, being careful not to hurt his chest and kissed him back. Before they knew it they were making out like hormone crazed teenagers.

Then Murphy started to regain control of herself. As much as she didn't want the moment to end, what they were doing was wrong and she began to push Lorne away. "Evan," she whispered her voice full of regret. "Stop. We can't."

"Why not?" he asked, pecking her on the lips.

She had to think about it. "We'll get caught, we could lose out jobs."

"Do you honestly think I care about that right now? Besides no one will catch us here."

She ran a hand through his hair as he kissed her again. She couldn't believe it, this was what she'd wanted, so why was she fighting it?

"Evan," she whispered as he began an assault on her neck. He bit down and sucked at her soft flesh, but not hard enough to leave a mark.

He pulled back, his lips inches away from hers. "Do you love me?" he whispered.

"What?"

"Do you love me?" he repeated.

She looked at the ground, not wanting to catch his eye. "Yes."

A huge smile found it's way to his face. He loved her!

"Then why aren't we together? I've wanted this for so long," he said.

Murphy mentally cursed. "You know why, Evan. We're military, there are rules, regulations that we have to follow. If we get caught, we could never see each other again."

Lorne took her hand in his and entwined their fingers. He ran a thumb over her knuckles and let out a sigh. "I love you, Hayden. I want to be with you. We'd be careful, no one would ever have to know."

She shook her head and walked onto the balcony. "It's to risky. Someone would find out eventually."

"Screw the fucking regs," he said. "Two people who love each other should be aloud to be together!"

"I know," she mumbled. "But this can't happen again, Evan. I'm sorry."

She turned around; catching his eye for a brief second and then walked to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Major," she said as she mentally opened the door and went to her quarters without looking back.

She collapsed onto her bed and slammed her fist into the pillow. She'd had a chance with the man she loved and she blew it! Why didn't she push him onto the couch, rip his clothes off and have her way with him?

She screamed a curse when she realised that things would never been the same between them. How could they be after they had snogged each other senseless.

Murphy blinked away some tears and switched her radio off in case he tried to contact her. The lights in his quarters were still off, so she guessed he was still back in the newly explored part of Atlantis.

She walked over to the kitchen area, got a beer out of the fridge and took a long swig. She put the bottle down and pulled off her clothes. She walked into the bathroom and took a hot shower trying to think of what to do next. Should she apologise? But then again, what would she be apologising for?

Lorne now knew that she loved him, maybe he wouldn't give up trying to be with her. Or maybe she could have a word with Dr Weir. After all, the regulations only applied to Earth. Maybe they could make up their own Pegasus version.

Murphy groaned and got out of the shower. She left the bathroom and collapsed onto her bed again without even bothering to dry off.

oOo

Lorne sat on the edge of the balcony watching the sun set. He didn't know exactly what had happened. Murphy said she loved him, so why couldn't she look past the rules and regulations and screw him on the couch? He'd tried to hail her on the radio, but it was switched off.

He couldn't remember ever feeling this confused in his life. He brushed his fingers over his lips where he had kissed Hayden. It seemed to him like it all happened years ago, when really it was only a few minutes.

He ran a hand through his hair and got up. Maybe some sleep would help clear his head.

* * *

TBC... 


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** I own nothing but the OCs and all mistakes are mine. Slight spoilers for McKay and Mrs Miller. Enjoy, and please review.

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Major Lorne walked down the corridor, deep in conversation with Kai, one of the members of Murphy's team. It had been almost six days since he'd made a move on her. She'd either been avoiding him or ignoring him, not that there was much of a difference. 

He wished things had gone differently. He wished that he could go back in time and change what had happened. He didn't know what he'd do if they couldn't be friends anymore. He'd rather have her as a friend than not have her at all.

He was now back on active duty and was itching to get back on the field. He felt like shooting something.

The transporter doors hissed open and he stepped inside.

"_Lorne? It's Murphy,"_ she said over the radio. _"Could you meet me in newly explored part of the city? The room we were in the other night. Like now?"_

"Yes sir," he mumbled and stepped out of the transporter. He didn't think it was fair that she had ignored him all week and then just demanded that he meet her somewhere, but she was the boss. That was the way it worked.

Lorne walked down a flight of stairs and walked into the living quarters where they had shared their first kiss without even knocking. Murphy was leaning against a desk with her arms folded, her blonde hair tied back.

She nodded to him. "Hey, Evan," she said quietly.

"Afternoon, Colonel," he said, looking at the ground.

She tilted her head to one side. "Look at me, Evan."

He looked up and watched her walked towards him and lean against the wall next to him. "Any particular reason why I'm here, sir?"

Hayden nodded. "Sorry I haven't seen you very much recently. I've been busy."

"With what?"

She hesitated. "Stuff. In my office."

He shifted wait from one foot to the other. "What kind of stuff."

Shrugging, she said, "I thought you should be the first to know, I'm resigning."

Major Lorne felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Resigning meant going back home. To Earth. To another galaxy. The Daedalus was only a few days away.

He shook his head in disbelief. "Y-your resigning. Why? Are you crazy?!"

Crazy for you, she thought. "It's for the best. I've already handed my request to Dr Weir."

"But why, sir?" he demanded, getting annoyed.

She smiled. "You can drop with the sir, I won't be your boss for very much longer."

She headed for the door, but he grabbed her by the arm before she could leave. "I can't let you quit, you love your job," he said. "Murphy, I have to know, is it because of me?"

"Yes it's because of you," she snapped. "What I said the other night, I didn't mean it. I love you, Evan, I want to be with you," she grabbed his shirt collar and kissed him hard on the lips.

"I'm doing this so that we can be together," she whispered, gasping for breath once they'd pulled back.

Lorne pushed her up against the wall and kissed her again, long and desperate. Her hair fell out of the loose ponytail it was in and brushed against her shoulders. He brushed his tongue against her lips, demanding entrance.

"_Hayden? Could you come to my office please?"_

Both Lorne and Murphy groaned as Dr Weir's voice came through on the radio. She sounded annoyed; she must have received the resignation form. Talk about timing.

The two of them walked out the door and Lorne persuaded Murphy to take the transporter. The gate room was full of people working at their stations. It reminded her of _24_. Lt Cadman's team was going off-world and were waiting for Chuck to dial the gate. She mock saluted the Lieutenant knocked and on Weir's office door.

She entered and nodded a hello to her boss. Elizabeth wasted no time and got straight to the point. "I've just received a very unexpected resignation form. Signed by you," she said.

"That's correct," said Murphy, unsure of how to proceed.

Elizabeth entwined her fingers and leaned forward on the desk. "Can I ask why?"

"You can."

She gave Murphy a weird look. "Why?"

Hayden sighed. "Because I can't take it anymore. The regulations suck!"

"What do you mean?"

The Air Force Colonel ran a hand through her hair. "I'm in love, Elizabeth. He's military, I have to resign," she said. She loved her job as CO of Atlantis, but if it was a choice between her job and Lorne, well, there was no competition. The choice was easy.

"In love with who?"

Murphy shifted weight from one foot to the other. She looked uncomfortable. "Major Evan Lorne."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. She would have put money on Sheppard.

She respected the Colonel's feelings, but they couldn't afford to lose her. Not whilst them didn't have a working ZPM. It had been depleted when they sent Rod back to his reality.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Hayden, but your request is denied."

"What?! That's not fair –"

"I'll have a word with the SGC about the regs. We're in another galaxy, we're separate from the USA, and we should be able to create our own. I'll see what I can do, but until then, I'm sorry, the answer is no."

Murphy nodded in acknowledgement. Maybe General O'Neill would be able to help. After all, it was no secret that he had a thing for Carter. "Thank you," she said. She turned around and stormed out of the office.

Elizabeth took one more look at the resignation request and then threw it in the bin. She felt sorry for Murphy, and for Lorne. They had a check in with the SGC tomorrow; they would dial in from their end. She could bring up the matter then. After all, doctors, scientist and technicians were able to have relationships, it really wasn't fair that the military didn't allow it.

* * *

TBC... 


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this fic.

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Three weeks later General Jack O'Neill, Dr Elizabeth Weir, Major Evan Lorne and Colonels Steven Caldwell, Hayden Murphy and John Sheppard were sitting round the conference table about to discuss a very important matter. Jack had decided to come because he thought inventing a load of wacky rules that he didn't have to follow would be fun. That, and the fact that he was a friend of Murphy. She had worked with him at Stargate Command. 

Word had soon gotten out about her resignation request and that she was in love with a military officer. Luckily, no one knew who it was and she intended to keep it that way.

"Well, let's get this meeting started then," said Elizabeth, shuffling some papers.

Major Lorne took Murphy's hand in his and entwined their fingers under the desk.

"Indeed," said the General, quoting Teal'c. "I understand that you want Atlantis to have it's own military regulations."

"Why is that?" Caldwell interrupted, looking at Sheppard who looked at Murphy.

She shifted in her seat. "Because Atlantis is separate from the USA, we shouldn't have to follow the same rules," she said, twiddling a pen around her fingers to distract herself.

Col Caldwell looked at her suspiciously. "But we're the US military," he pointed out.

Lorne shrugged. "Maybe we want to become the Atlantis military."

Sheppard smiled and leaned forward in his chair, enjoying the verbal tennis. "Yeah, that would be cool. We could be the Atlantis Air Force, the AAF."

"And which rules don't you like?" asked O'Neill, ignoring Col Sheppard. He already had a rough idea.

Murphy sighed. She didn't really want to think about what would happen if the rules didn't get changed. "The ones that say two military personal can't be involved in a romantic relationship," she said, stroking Lorne's knuckles under the table. "It isn't fair two doctors or scientist are allowed to get together while we can't. It's either that or I quit."

"No bodies quitting," said O'Neill. He looked Murphy in the eye, perfectly serious, not like the Jack O'Neill she knew at all. "And do you mind me asking who you wish to start a relationship with?"

Hayden looked down at the desk wondering what to do. If this failed, she could still protect Lorne. She didn't want him getting in any trouble. She was about to say that she did mind him asking when Lorne lifted their entwined hands for all to see.

"Me, sir," he said, making Murphy blush slightly.

"Colonel, is this true?" asked Caldwell, eyeing their hands like there was some sort of fungus growing on them. She and Caldwell had never seen eye to eye. The guy was an ass.

_Would we be holding hands if it weren't? _She thought. _Get a hold of yourself, got to handle this professionally; otherwise you'll get no where._

"Yes," she finally said. "Yes it is. We both feel the same way and are willing to do whatever it takes."

Everyone sat in silence for a few moments, gathering his or her thoughts. Col Caldwell didn't think that the city should have it's own regs. They were military just like him. Just because they were in love didn't mean they should change the way things worked. However, General O'Neill had different views, he always did.

"Well, I'm happy for you," he said. "And I think that if two people care about each other, then they should be allowed to be with each other."

Everyone knew that he was talking about him and Col Sam Carter.

"And?" said Lorne, giving Murphy's hand a gently squeeze.

"And, as long as it doesn't get in the way of work or missions, then I don't see a problem with it."

Murphy smiled and lent against Lorne, smiling into his neck and then pulling away. "Thank you, sir," she said.

He smiled. "I now pronounce you boyfriend and girlfriend."

They both saluted to their CO and asked permission to be excused. Sheppard saw this as his opportunity and asked the General about other things, such as the rules about alcoholic beverages and parties.

Hayden and Evan walked down the corridor hand in hand, smiling at all the weird looks they were getting. They knew that there were other military personal who wanted to start a relationship with one another, Murphy was happy for them to.

They stopped when they came to Major Lorne's quarters. He mentally opened the door and invited her in. She smiled as he dimmed the lights. She felt his strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her close to him and holding her tightly. Hayden put her hands over his and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I love you," he whispered, kissing her neck. "So much."

"You too," she said, pulling him down to meet her lips.

She ran her hands down his chest and moaned as he pulled their hips together. She ran a hand through his thick brown hair and sucked at his lower lip. His pants were becoming uncomfortable tight.

Hayden pulled off his shirt and smiled, taking in his physique. He definitely had the body of a solider, scars and muscles. She undid his belt while he worked on her shirt. For an Air Force officer she certainly had a very feminine figure, curves in all the right places.

"Please, babe," she whispered as he unclipped the wire on her bra.

He knew what she wanted, he wanted it to. He pushed her onto his bed and kissed her again. This was way better than any date he had ever been on before.

Both of them had wanted this for so long, and now they were finally together without the regulations hanging over their heads.

They kissed again and then made love for the first time.

Rumours had probably already been started about them, but Murphy didn't care. She had her job, she had her home and she had her man. That was all she needed.

* * *

_Fin_


End file.
